We'll Find a Way
by Last Winter Rose
Summary: While trying to help the Winchester, Castiel learns of a way to at least slow Lucifer down until they can find a way to actually stop Lucifer for good. The problem is that it can only work with another Archangel and the only one that they can find isn't all too willing to help.
1. Chapter 1

**Genre and/or Pairing**: A little bit of action, spell casting normal SPN. I guess you can say a little Per!Slash between Gabriel and Sam, and the always wonderful UST Dean/Castiel.

**Spoilers**: This is kind of an AU of Season Five, so there are mentions of events that take place in Season One through Season Four.

**Warnings**: Not really, rating is just for adult themed subject and language, and Dean and Gabriel jokes.

**Notes/Prompts:** This was written for team_free_love **Secret Lover Exchange Round 3**, as a gift for jenab. Using the prompts _Sam is the one who needs or has to claim Gabriel. Switching it around from Gabriel doing the claiming_.

**Part One**

Sam pulled the Impala into the motel's parking lot, thankful that Dean let him go get dinner while he took a shower. Sam was able to stop by the library and pick up a few books to do some research. He grabbed the take-out bag and books from the back seat, locked the Impala and started for their room.

He unlocked the door to their room and headed inside. "Dean! I'm back!" Sam didn't see Dean anywhere but he heard the water still running in the restroom. He glanced at his watch, "I was gone for half an hour." Shaking his head, Sam set the items down on the table and moved to their ice box to grab some beers. After placing them on the table with the food, he moved to the restroom and knocked on the door. "Dean! I'm back and I got food!"

"Did you get pie!"

Sam just rolled his eyes at the mumble voice through the door. "Yes Dean, I got the pie!" He didn't wait for an answer before moving back to the table and took a seat.

He unpacked his salad but left Dean's hamburger, chili fries, and pie, in the bag, next to the bottle of beer for him.

After mixing the dressing into the salad, Sam pulled the first book off of the pile and jumped right into doing his research. They had just finished a quick salt and burned in Idaho and with nothing else to do right now, Sam figure that they could get some researching done on trying to find a way to stop Lucifer and the whole Apocalypse.

He was half way through his salad and the second book when Dean finally came out of the restroom, dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a tee. "About time," Sam said not looking up from the book, "I thought you drowned in there."

"Ha ha, very funny." Dean moved to the table, took the seat next to Sam and began to dig into the bag with his hamburger in it. "Find anything yet?" Dean asked around a mouth full of burger.

Sam just shook his head, "I'm finding loads of stuff about the Apocalypse, the Four Horseman and pretty much everything else but nothing about Lucifer; or at least how to stop him." He closed the book tossing it into the beginning of the done pile. "I don't know Dean, if there's a way to stop him, it's not in a book anywhere."

"Oh come on, there's got to be something out there. We haven't checked every book and Bobby's still looking, plus Cass is out there somewhere. We'll find a way."

Sam sighed as he grabbed the next book in the, to go through pile. "Yeah, if you say so."

"That's the spirit." Dean grabbed the next book and began looking through it.

Together they sat in their room, looking through book after book. It was just like every other time that they get to do research; nothing. As Sam finished and closed the sixth book that he's gone through, he leaned back in his chair, glancing at the clock.

"I think we should call it Dean. We can pick up tomorrow, maybe even try going back to the libr..."

He was interrupted by the sound of feathery wings entering the room. Sam turned finding Castiel standing behind Dean and he couldn't really believe it but the angel actually looked tried. "Cass, are you alright?"

Castiel just looked between the two of them before nodding. "I believe I've found something that may help us against Lucifer."

Dean actually paused in the pie that he had moved onto, "You found a way to stop him."

"No, not stop him but only slow him down."

"We need a way to stop him Cass, not just slowing him down."

"Dean," Sam said eying him brother. He wasn't sure what Castiel went through to get this information, so the least they could do was to hear him out. "If we can slow him down, that would give us more time to find a way to actually stop him." He turned to Castiel, "What do we have to do?"

Castiel just stared at him, "You need to claim, or be claimed by an angel."

"What?" Sam shouted as he ducked out of the way of the beer that Dean just spit all over the table.

"Um, Cass, we're trying to keep Sam and me from becoming skin suite, not the other way around." Dean said as he ran the back of his hand over his mouth.

"I didn't say that he had to become a vessel Dean. I stated that he needed to claim or be claimed."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Sam asked, he wasn't sure if he like where this was going but if it kept him away from Lucifer, he was willing to give it a shot.

Castiel shook his head, "No."

Sam and Dean waited but that was all Castiel said. "Care to enlighten us Cass?"

Castiel looked at them as if he didn't know what Dean was talking about, so Sam decided to help him out. "Dean is asking for you to explain how they aren't the same."

"Why didn't he say so?" Castiel moved to the bed closest to the table and took a seat on the edge. "When an angel takes someone as a vessel, they become that person. The human, in a way is pushed to the back of the mind, they can see and hear everything that is going on but they have no control over their body; the angel is in complete control. Also with vessels, angels can only use that of an assigned bloodline and only if the person who would be becomes the vessel have agreed to be so."

"Yeah, yeah, we know all of this already." Dean said.

Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother, "Go ahead Cass."

Castiel nodded, "Being claimed by, or claiming an angel is simply getting a partner. You were both look out for each other; in some cases the two have even been able to hear each thoughts, feel each other pain knowing when the other was in trouble, and much more."

Sam took all of what Castiel was saying in, trying to think if he had read about anything like this before. He must have had his ithinking bitch face/i, as Dean called it, on, because his brother asked the question he was thinking.

"Have anyone ever done this before?"

Castiel looked between them and then glanced to the wall, Sam learned long ago that that was never a good sign. "It's mainly done between angels, but it has been done between a human and an angel."

Sam couldn't really tell but as Castiel talked, it looked like he was starting to blush. "Are you blushing Cass?"

"Come off it Sam, angels don't blush," Dean said. Sam just pointed at Castiel, who was still looking towards the wall. Dean turned, "Oh shit. Cass, you are blushing." He said with a grin.

"What aren't you telling us?" Sam asked, since Dean seemed to have been shock into silent.

Castiel actually sighed before answering, "This is rarely done between human and angels because it's…it's how angels mate."

"Damn it Dean! Stop drinking for a moment." Sam yelled as Dean once again spit the beer that he had just sipped towards him. "What do you mean, it's how angels mate?"

"Just that. When two angels love each other, they mate, or claim each other, letting other angels know that they are..." Castiel looked to Dean, "How do you say it? iOff limit/i?"

Dean laughed, "So you want Sam to _marry_ an angel?"

"Is that what you call our bond Dean?" Castiel asked.

It was Sam turn to laugh but his laughter faded as Castile's words kicked in. "Wait? You and Dean are…?"

"No"

"Yes"

Dean and Castiel answered in union.

Castiel stared at Dean, "In order for me to pull you from Hell, I needed to bond with your soul." He pointed towards Dean's shoulder, "My handprint is the mark of my claim."

"Shut your mouth. We're not married."

Sam jumped in before this went any farther, "How will this help slow down Lucifer?"

"That would depend on the angel that you bond with. The stronger the angel, the harder it would be for Lucifer to use you as a vessel, even if you were to say 'yes' to him."

"So, are you saying that you could stop Michael from using Dean as a vessel?"

Castiel shook his head, eying Dean. "No, I'm afraid that I'm not strong enough to take on the Grace of an archangel. Michael would still be able to use him."

Sam turned to the books on the table. When Castiel told them that he was going to go look for an answer on how to stop Lucifer, Sam never thought that this would be the answer. He glanced to his brother, hoping to see what Dean thought about all of this but Dean was looking at the beer bottle in his hand, snipping it around. There was no thought left in Sam's mind that Dean and Castiel would have a very long talk later but right now, he needed his brother's support on this. "Dean? What do you think?"

"Hell if I know Sammy," he finally looked to Castiel. "Do you even know an angel that would be willing to claim Sam?"

"Or is strong enough to go against an ex-archangel?" Sam asked, "What would be the point in bonding myself to an angel if they couldn't stop Lucifer?"

Castiel looked down to the floor, "That's the problem."

"I knew there would be a 'but'," Dean yelled slamming his hand on the table. "There's always a 'but'."

"For this to really work, Sam would have to claim an archangel."

Sam sighed as Dean stood so fast he knocked his chair over. "So we're pretty much toast, no archangel is going to help us."

"Well."

"Cass?"

"There are rumors of one archangel that left after Lucifer was cast from Heaven but there are also those who believe that he was killed during the battle between his brothers."

"Do you know how to find him?" Dean asked.

"There is a summoning spell that we could use but…"

"There's that 'but' again."

"If he is alive, I do not believe that he would be willing to help against Lucifer and Michael."

Sam was going through the names of every archangel that he could think of but it wasn't helping him. He had read so many different lists from different religions of different angels; that he wasn't sure which ones were actually real anymore. "Who is it Cass?" he asked. Castiel's eyes settled on him and Sam was suddenly wishing that he hadn't asked.

"The Massager of God, the Archangel Gabriel."

**Two Months Later**

Loki was having the best day ever. He's just finished messing around with a dirty cop that he'd been following around for the past week; making him see the ghosts of the people that he had wrong, or getting odd phone calls. In the end Loki didn't have to go through with the actual killing part. After a while the cop couldn't take it anymore and just snapped, he ended it all by jumping off a bridge.

He'd returned to his hideout for this little town, to reward himself with some ice cream, cakes, and other sweets. He was going through his fourth pumpkin pie, when he suddenly felt something that he hadn't felt in a _very_ long time. A small pain, in his chest, as if someone had reached into him and was trying to pull him somewhere. He glanced at his chest, the pain was fast, and it was gone just as soon as he starting to feel it.

"What was that all about?"

When the pain didn't answers back, he shrugged it off as nothing. He stood from the table to head to the bedroom, it had been a long day and he was actually a little tried. He was half way there when the pain hit again; this time a lot harder, causing him to double over. He couldn't believe it, who even knew that he was still alive.

He did his best to fight it, to stop his body from going to whoever was calling him but with ever second that he held out the pain only got worst. He silently cursed whoever it was casting the spell as the pain started to spread from his chest, it became like fire running through his vain. It had been so long since the last time someone used a summoning spell on him that he had forgotten just how badly it hurt when you fought it. As the pained reached his neck, a white light started to form before his eyes and along with the light, he started to hear a voice. The voice of the one calling him and he knew at once that this wasn't going to end well. He sighed giving into the spell, he knew that there was no way that the Winchester brothers would stop trying to summon him.

The only problem was that he also knew that they didn't know who they were calling. They were going to be in for a surprise; they call for an archangel and they get a trickster instead.

_LWR_

"Are you sure this is the right spell Cass?" Dean yelled over Sam's chanting. Castiel just nodded and went back to watching Sam, who stood by the ring of Holy Oil Fire that they had made. Inside the ring of fire, on the ground in blood, they had drawn the symbol of the Archangel Gabriel, forcing Gabriel to land in the ring; when and if he even showed up. "Are you sure the guy's even alive still?"

"Like I said before Dean, there are rumors out there but I don't know if they're true or not."

"Great, so we could be standing out in the middle of nowhere for nothing." Dean looked to his brother, Sam was eying him over the paper that he was reading off of. "And why did you have us put that cover up? It's not like it's going to rain, it's the middle of sum…" His voice was drowning out by the crash of thunders off in the distance. "What the Hell?"

Dean glanced to the sky; dark rain cloud started rolling in from nowhere, he could see lightening reaching down from the clouds to the ground, followed closer by more thunder. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a white light, he turned back to find the symbol beginning to glow. The light grew brighter as Sam raised his voice to be heard over the sound of nature building up around them; the wind blowing and the rain that started to fall. "Does this always happen when you summon an angel?" he asked Castiel.

Castiel nodded as he took a step close to Sam, careful of the flames himself. "Only when you summon an archangel and Gabriel is the Archangel of Water, so it's only natural that this happen."

"So why didn't we do this inside somewhere?"

"I thought you would enjoy not being stuck under the pile of a collapsed building." Castiel turned to him and for a second Dean was sure that he saw a small smile.

Dean was about snap back with some remark when the next flash of lightening struck the earth, this time right in the middle of the ring of fire. Dean threw his arms up over his eyes to protect them from the lightening brightness but as he did so he realized that he's seen this light before and it wasn't from lightening. It was the light of an angel's grace, just like Castiel's, only two times brighter. When he didn't hear Sam chanting anymore, he hoped that it was because he was also covering his eyes from the light.

As the light started to fade, so did the elements around them; the wind died down to a slight breeze, the thunder and lightning disappeared, rolling off into the fields past them. Only the rain remain and it didn't let up, if anything it got harder, drumming against the top of the tent cover that Castiel had them put up. Dean heard footsteps and could only guess that it was Castiel moving closer.

"Gabriel. So the rumors are true."

Dean was waiting for the light to fade some more before lowering his arms but when he heard the voice answer back to Castiel; he didn't care about the light. It was a voice that he believed to never hear again after the second time they ran into the owner of it but as he lowered his arms this was one thing that he couldn't believe.

"No, way," Dean heard Sam say next to him as he cursed under his breath. There standing in the middle of the Holy Oil Fire ring was Gabriel; but him and Sam knew him better as the Trickster, Loki.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Not this time Dean-o," Loki, or was it Gabriel, answered.

Dean couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it. There was no way that the annoying little trickster that had killed him over a hundred times was the Archangel Gabriel; there was just no way. He looked to Sam but his brother only stared back with a mixture of bitch face numbers ten, sixteen, and thirty-five; confusion, anger, and shock. So he turned to Castiel, "Are you telling me that this asshole is an archangel?"

"Dean, please," Castiel said, "and yes, this is Gabriel." He turned to Gabriel, "I'm happy to see that the rumors were true brother, that you are still alive."

"Yeah, well, I was kind of hoping no one would try and prove them wrong. Don't you think I left Heaven for a reason Castiel?"

"Wait, hold up." Sam looked between Castiel and the trickster. "You mean he really _is_ Gabriel?"

"Yes, Sam. Who else would he be?" Castiel answered.

"Who in deed? You see baby bro, the Winchesters here and I have met before. Only those times they knew me by a different name."

"Remember that time that Sammy told you about? Where I got killed over and over again by that trickster? Well, meet the Trickster, Loki." Dean waved his hand at the being in the fire, which he really hoped works on angels with tricksters as vessel.

Castiel eyed Dean, then Sam, "I see. Well, we're both right. Loki _is_ Gabriel's vessel."

"His vessel is a trickster? How the hell did that happen?"

"Well, Loki is a demigod Dean," Sam said, "and demigods are part human."

"Hole in one kido," Loki jumped in. "But really if you boys wanted to know about me, all you had to do was ask."

"Yeah? And would you have really answered our questions?" Dean asked. He finally moved closer to the fire.

"Depends on the questions," he paused glancing to Sam, "and who's asking."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean snapped at the trickster, he wasn't in the mood for games. He was cold, tried, and now, thanks to Gabriel, he was wet. He just wanted to find a nice warm bed and go to sleep.

"Dean, we do not have time for this," Castiel said stepping in between him and the other angel. He was facing Dean and for a moment, Dean was shock that Castiel would show his back to an angel that they didn't really know. Yeah, they knew the trickster side to this being and it was one that Dean didn't care for; so he was just guessing but he probably wasn't going to like the angel side of him either. "We should not make him mad; right now we need him to listen to us."

"Um, Castiel, I can still hear you," Gabriel said.

"Stay out of this!"

"Dean, Cass is right. We don't need another pissed off archangel; we already have enough of those after us." Sam said. Dean watched his brother moved in front of the fire ring, "So, which one should we call you? Gabriel or Loki?"

"Whichever one you want Sammy."

"Okay, Gabriel then," Sam said, Dean didn't miss the roll of his brother's eyes at being called his nickname by the angel. "We kind of started off on the wrong foot here."

"That's an understatement and an half," Gabriel huffed out eying the flames dancing around him.

"We needed to talk you and…"

"You could have just called, you didn't have to set all of this up for me. It's not like you knew I was even alive. You were playing with a bet, and fire." He gestured to the ring around him with the last part.

"Well, we haven't had the best of luck with angels."

"Most of all archangels," Dean mumbled.

"Oh, I see. This is about old Mikey and Lucy. Well, you can forget it. If you haven't noticed, I'm doing my own thing; _witness protection program_ if you will. I want nothing to do with anyone from the Host."

Dean didn't care for the way that he glared at Castiel when he said that part but he fought the urge to step in front of the angel; Sam would never let him hear the end of it. Instead he just verbally helped Castiel out, "Listen buster. If it wasn't for the fact that we need your help right now, I would be throwing some more oil onto that fire for what you've done to us in the past."

"Oh, please, what could you possible need from me that would outweigh the hatred that you feel for me?" Gabriel's gold eyes were dancing between the three of them and when they landed on Sam, Dean knew that his brother wouldn't be able to put into voice what they needed to do; not after finding out who Gabriel was.

"We need you to let Sam claim you."

There he said it for Sammy and he didn't beat around the bush; it was straight to the point. Dean was waiting for Gabriel to come back with some witted remark but there was only silent as the archangel just stared at him.

"I'm not joking," Dean added, not letting Gabriel even ask the question.

Gabriel looked to Castiel, that grin of his was nowhere to be seen on his face. "How could you Castiel?"

"It was the only thing that I could think of to help them," Castiel said.

"So why don't _you_ let him claim you?"

"I'm already claimed by someone." He didn't say who but Dean saw the quick glance that the angel sent his way; they were going have to talk about that later, if they made it through this. "Also I would be no match against Lucifer, where you…"

"Let me get this right," Gabriel held up his hand cutting Castiel off. The rain that had started to die down picked up a little, it seemed to be connected to his emotions. "You want me to let Samsquatch claim me so that it'll be harder for Lucifer to get his hands on him?"

Castiel answered by nodding, Dean wasn't sure but it seemed that Castiel wanted to say something but feared saying it to the older angel's face. He shifted his eyes to Gabriel, he had only seen Castiel with one other archangel and at that time he wasn't afraid to say anything to Raphael's face. What was so important about this guy that Castiel was watching what he was saying; beside the fact that they needed his help. Yeah, Gabriel, or Loki at the time, had made Sam relive the same day over and over and had killed him so many times but he's seen Castiel do some unbelievable thing too.

"What would you planning on doing if I wasn't alive?" Gabriel asked.

"We were going to cross that bridge when we came to it," Sam answered. "I know we've had some bad times in the past…"

"You try to kill me, twice!"

"Well, you did kill Dean over a hundred times," Sam snapped back.

"You came after me first!"

"Well you were killing people!"

"Who deserved it!"

"No one _deserved_ to dead! At least not like that!"

"And yet you're trying to find a way to kill my brothers!"

"Okay, okay," Dean shouted, to get their attention. It was one thing for him to have a yelling match with Gabriel; he wasn't trying to get the archangel to let him claim him.

"We've all made mistakes Gabriel, but right now we're offering you atonement from your past."

Gabriel just shook his head, "I can't believe this. You're _offering_ me," he glanced between them. "That's a good one Castiel, real good."

"As Dean stated before, this is not a joke," Castiel said, that emotionless mask on his face. "Brother, please, will you help us?"

"I was fine for all these years; off the grid, doing my own thing. Now, thanks to you three, the whole Host probably knows that I'm alive. You've pretty much dragged me back into this stupid little fight between Lucy and Mikey already."

"You can hide your Grace, like you've done for all these years."

"Doesn't mean they'll stop looking for me."

"So then will you help us?"

Dean just stood there as he watched the conversation between the angels. He hated the idea of Sam being bonded to the _Trickster_ but if Castiel believed that he could help, then he would put up with it; it wasn't like Gabriel would to stay with them all the time. He and Sam have been through too much to stop now and he was sure that Sam was thinking the same thing. Dean noticed that Gabriel's gold eyes were dancing between them as he talked to Castiel, he was probably waiting for one of them to pull a stake out; or would it have to be an angel blade, maybe that's why they couldn't get this guy to die.

He glanced out into the darkness of the field around them. It had took a few tries before Castiel agree to a field, the ones before were always too close to a town, even though they had all been in the middle of nowhere. Dean didn't look away for long though, he learned long ago to never drop your guard around supernatural beings and if Gabriel was still controlling the rain somehow from within the ring, he didn't want to put anything pass him.

The plan had been to let Castiel do the talking but it didn't look like he was having much luck. Gabriel was proving to be like most angels that they've had dealings with; pigheaded. This wasn't going to work.

"We're wasting time here," Dean shouted. "We could be somewhere warm, looking for another way to stop Lucifer. He's never going to say yes to this."

"We don't need him to say yes, Dean," Castiel said.

"You wouldn't," Gabriel said but by the way he said it, Dean could tell that it was a warning. In fact, there was even a hint of fear in his voice and in his eyes.

Castiel hadn't really gone into detail about this whole claiming thing but it look like he just hit a nerve of some kind.

"Cass?" Sam asked, "What are you talking about?"

"That's one of the differences between a bonding and being a vessel, neither the angel nor the human need to say 'yes'. "

"But you said it was how angels mate." Castiel nodded at that. "So, if I were to claim him without him agreeing to it. Wouldn't that be like raping?"

"Sam! Come on man!" Dean yelled, he didn't need that image in his head right now.

"No, but Dean, really, that's what it is. Right?"

Castiel remained silent just staring at Sam so Gabriel answered for him. "If you want to look at it that way, then yes, that's just what Castiel is saying."

"The bond would only be half way completed and it wouldn't be as strong as if it was whole but it would still hold Lucifer at bay for awhile."

"Wait, what?" Dean decided to step in, he didn't like where this was going or how Castiel was talking. "You can't be serious Cass. You didn't say anything about that before."

"It was not important at the time, I believed Gabriel would be willing to help us."

"Guess you messed that one up, didn't ya?" Gabriel had moved as close to the flames as he could and Dean was thankful that the oil still worked on him; otherwise he would probably be trying to get a pissed off archangel off of Castiel.

"You were always the first to help Father's children. What has happened to you?"

"I've learned a lot from the human throughout the centuries. You would be surprised at some of the things I could tell you."

Dean was shock, even though Castiel was even bringing up the idea of iforcing/i a claim on Gabriel, Dean could tell that he was against the matter; plus the fact that Castiel was still holding back what he really wanted to say. Dean looked to his brother; Sam's eyes were on Gabriel in the ring, there were confusion all over his face and Dean was a little surprised that Sam was even thinking about it. "Sammy?"

Sam turned to Dean, then back to Gabriel. The archangel and his brother were having a stare down, and, like he had so many times when they were young, Dean wished that he could read Sam's mind. They stood like that for awhile, each one staring down the other as if the first one to look away would lose any say in the matter.

Finally Sam shook his head, "No, I'm sorry Cass, this was a good idea but…I won't force something onto someone." He turned, moving to one of the poles holding the cover up, "That would make me no better than Lucifer and the demons that we hunt." He grabbed the pole and before Dean could stop him, moved the cover just enough that the edge of the ring was out in the rain; not enough to get any of them too wet but the flames of the ring slowly faded away. Dean's hand slowly reached behind him to the Gluck that he had in the back of his jeans, even though he knew that it wouldn't do a lot of good. He gave an inward sigh seeing Castiel's angel blade sliding into his hand; but neither of them made the first move, they waited to see what Gabriel was going to do.

Gabriel in turned just watched the fire die down, he didn't even looked towards Dean and Castiel. Once the fire was gone, he turned to Sam, "Just like that? You think you can out trick a trickster?"

Sam shook his head, "This is no trick. It's clear that you want nothing to do with this and like I said, I won't force someone to do something that they don't want to do. Even if that person is a supernatural being and the only person who could possible save me." He moved back next to the others, "You're free to go."

"Sam?" Dean was unsure about this. His hold tighten on his gun; he was waiting for this to backfire on them, like so many of Sam's other ideas. Luckily, Gabriel just took one last look around at each of them and then he was gone; only instead of the snapping sound of his fingers, it was fatherly sound of angels' wings.

Dean left go of his gun, looking between Sam and Castiel. "Well, that was weird."

_LWR_

Gabriel wasn't going to hang around to see what kind of bullets Dean had in that Glock of his, and he felt no reason to hide the sound of his wings; they knew who and what he was now; he booked it to his nearest home as fast as he could. He was having since a great day too and then the Winchesters had to go and mess it all up, like they normally do.

He had hear through the grapes vine that there was an angel helping the brothers against Heaven and Hell but he never would have guess Castiel to be that angel. The Castiel that he knew was loyal to the Host and would have never turned his back on them, even if it was an order from Michael himself; or Father for that matter. What could have happened to make him help the Hunters? To tell them about claiming, and bonds; that was rarely talked about among angels, it was just something that they knew but to tell humans about it.

"Wait? Bonds? That's it," he said snapping his fingers. Castiel had mention that he already had a bond with someone and for him to have pulled Dean Winchester from Hell….

Dean Winchester and Castiel…

That was all well and good, but Castiel had no right to pull him into their mess. Although the younger hunter didn't have to free him like he did. They had Castiel, who was willing to show them how to do the bond; even without Gabriel's permission and Gabriel never would have guessed that Sam would turn him down. They had Lucifer breathing down their necks everywhere they went, not to mention Crowley, Meg, and all of their minions.

He looked around the house, almost expecting Castiel to show up behind him; to have followed him. There was a slight sting from his left arm as he moved to the sofa, he hadn't realized that he had gotten too close to the fire made by the Holy Oil but the top of his arm was red and it was going to hurt for awhile. Unlike with other wounds, he couldn't heal it with his Grace; it would have to heal on it.

Gabriel dropped onto the couch, his little dog, Steven, came running from the side room to jump up next to him. He held his left arm to his chest while the other rubbed behind the dog's ear. "Hey boy, looks like we're going have to move again." He gave a huge sigh as he drop his head back, looking up at the roof. He didn't want to leave right now, he was actually starting to like this little town but he knew that even if it hadn't been the Winchesters, some other hunters would have shown up sooner or later. He guessed he should be thankful that it was the Winchesters, but he could have gone for them hunting him down for the deaths instead of them calling for 'Gabriel' and getting him.

He glanced at the clock; he had planned on going after another person the next day. Another collage professor that was _teaching_ a little bit more to some of his female students for a higher grade. Now though, he wasn't in the mood.

This whole event didn't help, most of all, for some reason, he couldn't get the yelling match that he had with Sam out of his head. Who was Sam to say who deserved to die or not, Gabriel _is_ an archangel, it's their job to pass judgment. So what if he's throwing in his Trickster side in how that judgment is passed. Sam, it seems, learned nothing from his lesson. He was still trying to hold onto people, to help in everything; only there were just some things that you couldn't help with.

Gabriel looked down at Steven, who had started licking his fingers, "What do you think?" The dog stopped and looked up, like he was going to answer but then he just went back to licking him. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

He couldn't hide anymore, thanks to the Samsquatch and his little sidekick, the Host is going to know that he's alive; and if Michael was still the Michael that he knew from the past, he was going to be looking for him. He was also guessing that Lucifer was probably going to be looking as well, if only to keep Michael from finding him and getting some more help.

Gabriel had thought that he would have been able to stay out of his brothers' war but that had been wishful-thinking on his part.

"I need a drink," he said giving a small push to Steven to let the animal know that he wanted up. Gabriel made his way to the kictken and started digging around in the refrigerator to see what he had to drink. He decided on just grabbing a beer and snapping a candy bar out of air to snack on.

As he leaned against the counter and took a sip, his mind roamed to the look that Castiel had giving him when Sam removed the cover over the fire; not only the look from his vessel but actually from Castiel. It was a look of hurt, as if Gabriel had let him down by not agreeing to help them in their quest to save the world. Castiel though, like many of their brothers and sisters, should have known better; Gabriel had let them down before when he decided to take off.

"He shouldn't have even told them about bonds, it's an angel thing." He told Steven, who had followed him to the kickten, and was now looking at him but the look reminded him of Castiel, with his tilted to the side. "Don't you look at me like that, it's not my fight!"

The dog only barked once in answer before running off into the side room, "Fine! Run away!" Gabriel yelled after the little tail disappearing through the door, "What do you know anyway?"

He stared at the bottle in his hand, "It's not my fight."

He had been through enough the last time Michael and Lucifer went at it, and Raphael hadn't been much help; picking Michael from the beginning and pretty much threw Gabriel under the bus. He and Raphael had agreed to not pick sides and then that went out the window. He sighed setting down the bottle, "What to do? What to do?" he mumbled to himself.

He heard barking coming from the other room. "What are you doing in there?" Gabriel yelled following the sound. "If you're ripping the pillows again, I'm not going to clean up the feathers. You're on your own. " The sound leaded him the bathroom where he found that Steven hadn't played with the pillows but with his soaps instead, "Really?"

It wasn't like he actually used the soaps, being a trickster slash archangel, he didn't really need to take bath and showers but it was fun to have them around anyway. His little friend found another use for them though. There, on the tile floor, four of his different soaps had been spread across in a design. Steven was sitting next to it, looking at him with his head tilted and tongue hanging out.

He stared from the dog to the design, wondering, yet again, why he had made Steven all those years ago. The little creature had most of Gabriel's memories in him and although Gabriel made it to where Steven couldn't talk back, he could actually understand the human language. So by looking at the design, Gabriel knew that the dog was trying to tell him what to do. It was a design that Gabriel knew all too well, and one that he had hope to never see again. Four rings joined together to form a kind of triangle, one in the middle with the other three along the edge.

Gabriel glanced at the dog, "Why would I tell them about that?"

Steven pawed at the design and at him.

"You want me to actually help them? After everything that they've done to me."

The dog just stared at him.

"Like I said, 'It's not my fight'."

Another bark.

Gabriel sighed, "You're crazy. You know that? Although," he studied the design, "if the Winchesters don't stop Lucy or Mikey, the world isn't going to be a fun place to hang out anymore. I need to think," he turned to leave the bathroom, "I'm going out. Don't wait up."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

**Five Months Later**

The white light flashed from the demon's eyes as Castiel vanquished it. He didn't try catching the body as it fell to the ground; he already knew that the poor human that was force to be the demon's host was died. He turned as silence fell in the warehouse; Sam was helping Dean up from where a demon had thrown him across the room.

Bodies covered the ground of the warehouse; the few humans that might have been alive with the demons inside of them were now died. That was the downside to the Winchesters using the Clot and Ruby's dagger. If Sam and Dean hadn't had been there Castiel could have just release his Grace, freeing all of the human at once but he didn't want to risk taking the two hunters along with the demons.

"Cass? Are you alright?" Dean shouted to him.

Castiel only nodded, he had started that there was more than just the one demon that they had followed in here but Sam and Dean hadn't listened to him. They were sure that if they could catch a demon, they would be able to get it to 'talk' and tell them everything that Lucifer and Crowley were planning. It seemed though that the demon were on to their plan and had made an ambush for them; one that Castiel was sad to say the Winchesters walked right into.

"Are you two well?"

"Yeah ," Sam answered, "too bad about our plan. I don't think we left any of them alive."

Castiel glanced around the room once more before his eyes landed on the space next to Sam, he was sure that the human didn't see it but there was a slight shift in the air; as if there were some heat wave by the young hunter. He was going to tell the two but then felt the present of a person that he never would have thought to be there.

"I think it would be wise for us to leave, Crowley will probably be sending reinforcement."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Sam started towards the double doors at the end of the room, picking up Dean's shotgun as he went. Dean was following behind him, a slowly to normal but Castiel cast it off to just being a little sore from his trip across the room but he knew that even if he asked, Dean wouldn't let Castiel heal him or Sam; unless it was a fatal wound.

He moved to follow the hunters getting about half way to the door; to here he was standing right next to the shift in air. He waited until they were both at the door before saying, "I'll meet you back at the motel."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you can ride in the Impala, there's room in the back," Dean said turning to him.

Castiel noticed Dean placing a hand on his back as he turned to Castiel; he nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. I'll meet you there." Sam nodded and left with Dean following after a shrugged. Castiel stood where he was as he watched them leave through the doors; he waited until he knew that they were far enough away that they wouldn't hear him before he spoke. "You know, if you had agreed to our offer, they wouldn't have been in here to begin with."

"If Sam had learned from my lesson, who know, Lucifer may still be locked up in the cage."

"Why are you here Gabriel?" Castiel asked as the space next to him shimmered; the vile that hid the archangel from the Winchesters vanished and allowed Castiel to see his brother's vessel.

Castiel just stared at him, he was sure that the archangel had a reason for following the Winchester brothers but he was waiting for Gabriel to go first. Gabriel was silent for a few seconds before turning to Castiel. "What do you think of them? I mean, honestly think of them."

Castiel was a little thrown by the question, "I think them to be good human, they…"

"Cass, I can call you Cass right? That's what Dean calls you? Anyway, I don't want to know what the Host thinks of them. I asked what you think of them. There was a reason why you left the Host, you turned your back on Michael and I want to know what that was; and don't say it was because of the unfinished bond between you and Dean."

Castiel was again a little bit taking aback, he didn't think that he was obvious when he was talking to Gabriel last time but then again; he wasn't sure just how long the archangel had been following them, this was the first time that he noticed the other's Grace. He thought about the question though, wondering what it was that had made him turn his back on the Host to help the Winchesters. For one thing, he had always believed that all of their Father's creatures should be treated equally but the way that Zachariah and Michael had been treating Dean was anything but _equally_. From what he heard from Sam, Lucifer was being more trustful when he was tried to get the young hunter to say 'yes' to being his vessel. Lucifer at least hadn't made a whole world and changed the brothers' lives to get them to say 'yes'.

"Well?" Gabriel asked.

Castiel stared at the doors where the hunters had left, "They're there for each other, putting the other's well being s. They help people in need without thinking of the dangers that it puts them in. They do it every day of their lives and with no wish of rewards or even a 'thank you' from the people that they've saved. They stand up for what they believe in and they don't give up on anything without a fight. They…" he stopped to look at the angel beside him; Gabriel was just staring, listening to what he was saying. "They remind me of you brother, before you left the Host."

That seemed to hit a nerve; Gabriel quickly looked away, staring at anything but him. The grin that had been forming on his lips was gone and his eyes became a darker gold color. "Yeah, well, that's in the past and don't you compare me to those goofballs. I'm nothing like them."

"You may not see it and Dean would say the same if I told him that but you three are more alike than you think you think."

"Name two things."

"You and Dean are both protected of your little brother. I remember how you were during the last battle between Michael and Lucifer; you did everything that was in your power to look after younger angels in the Host, including me. Then there's Sam…"

"Samsquatch and I have nothing in common."

"You both ran from your family but then came back…"

Gabriel held up a finger, "I didn't come back, I was pulled back into this mess and who said that I'm back."

"Sam was pulled back as well by Dean, when their father went missing and if you weren't back, you weren't be here talking to me."

"You've been hanging out with them waaaaaay too much," Gabriel said. "You're starting to sound like Dean."

"How long have you been watching us?"

"Long enough and before you asked, let me point out that I did hide my Grace from you and the Host for a century or two." He looked down kicking a rock on the ground, "Thanks to your little stunt Michael have been sending angels after me left and right. I'm a little shock that Lucifer haven't done so as well, send his little Crowley after me."

"Will you help them?"

"I don't want to help anyone!" Gabriel shouted, "Not Michael or Lucifer and I didn't want to help you either."

"Gabriel…"

"At first," he pursed, "at first, I didn't want to help you or the Winchesters. They've made a huge mess of my life since the first time I ran into them, sure they were fun for awhile but now, now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I won't help Lucifer because he wants to kills to Michael and I won't help Michael because he wants to kills Lucifer and not to mention that they both want this huge battle between Heaven and Hell and that's going to end badly."

"Is that one you left?" Castiel asked. He was a little surprise that Gabriel was here, talking to him at all. After the whole thing with summoning him and saying no to helping them, he was sure that he wouldn't see Gabriel for a few centuries again. "Why you didn't stay to help us?"

Gabriel looked at Castiel as if he had slapped the archangel, "Castiel…they're my brothers. Yeah, we call every angels 'brother' and 'sister' but they really iare/i my brothers. We were the first ones that Father made; the four of us, Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and me. You can't imagine what it felt like when Michael and Lucifer started fighting, when they asked Raphael and me to help them, when Raphael broke our promise and decided to help Michael, or when they pulled all of you younger angels into the battle."

Castiel listened as Gabriel's anger slipped into his voice, the older angel's Grace flared a dark blue and Castiel actually took a step back. "Gabriel…I"

"Don't Castiel. You ask why I left, you ask why I didn't stay and help. Well, the answer is that I couldn't. I couldn't stay, I couldn't help; that and I didn't want to." Gabriel lowered his head, "I didn't want to stand against my brothers, even if I had the powers to go up against Michael and Raphael, I didn't want to. That why I left; and I believed that Father would have taking care of you and the others. I guess I should know better though, the fact that he didn't stop Michael and Lucifer from going at it should have told me something."

Castiel stared at Gabriel; although the archangel was older and way more powerful than him, at the moment Castiel felt like he was staring at a child. A child that was lost and alone. The way that Castiel had felt when he started questioning the orders that were giving to him. He reached out a hand, it came inches from touching the top of Gabriel's head but stopped. He didn't know what to do, what to say. This was an angel that he had looked up all those centuries ago, Gabriel's Grace had been blight and beautiful but now, it was dim and dark.

"Gabriel…?"

"Well," Gabriel said, his head snapping up and a smile on his face as if he hadn't just been went off on Castiel. "You were telling me what you saw in those boys."

Castiel looked at Gabriel, titling his head, "What is all of this about Gabriel?"

Gabriel sighed, "I've been watching you guys and I have to say, they're nothing like I thought they were. You're right about one thing, they are goody two-shoes, and so much it kind of makes me sick."

"If you're not going to help us…"

"Hold on there," Gabriel held his finger up. "I didn't say that."

"You did when we ask you to let Sam claim you."

"You caught me by surprise that time but like I said, I've been thinking." Gabriel took hold of his chin and started pacing back and forward as if he was ireally/i thinking.

Castiel watched him, he believed that Gabriel might actually be offering to help them and he didn't want to say anything that might blow that. He quickly reached out through the small bond that he had with Dean, sensing that he had convinced Sam to stop at a drive through before going to the motel. Castiel gave an inward smile; leave it to Dean to believe that a hamburger would solve everything and make all of his wounds stop hurting.

"THAT'S IT!" Gabriel stopped throwing his finger in the air as if he just had a great idea.

Castiel pulled out of the bond, "What's it?"

"Not here, we need to talk to those goofballs of yours."

Castiel was about to say something when Gabriel raised his fingers and snapped them.

_LWR_

Sam had offered to drive, Dean didn't look like he should be behind the wheel but his brother wouldn't hear of it. Sam had then smiled learning that Dean had only wanted to go to a drive through and get something to eat.

As Dean grabbed the rest of the food from the car and locked the Impala up, Sam moved to their motel's door and unlocked it. He opened it slowly; seeing that the light was on, he stopped with the door halfway open. "Cass? Is that you?"

"Yes, Sam."

He glanced over his shoulder to Dean before entering the room but instead of going all of the way, he stopped in the doorway, causing Dean to bump into him. "Dude, Sam! Watch the food!"

"What the Hell? Cass, what is he doing here?" Sam stood still, though he felt Dean leaning around him before his brother took a step to stand next to him. Inside the room Castiel stood next to the bed, looking to the door. On the bed, sitting there, that grin on his face as if he didn't have a care in the world; was Gabriel. Sam eyed Dean, who was looking towards the dresser where he was keeping one of his many guns.

"He's here to help Dean," Castiel said as if knowing what Dean was thinking.

Dean didn't go for his gun but Sam knew that Dean was still ready to jump for it if Gabriel tried anything. Sam eyes danced between Castiel and Gabriel, he could trust Castiel; the angel had proven that many times but Gabriel…if Castiel trusted him enough to bring him here. Sam slowly moved to the table and took a seat.

"Sam?" Dean whispered as he walked by him.

"Let's just hear him Dean. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, I don't know, he could kill me again."

"Been there, done that," Gabriel side.

Dean shut the door but he didn't take his eyes off of Gabriel.

"Dean, I think that Gabriel means well but being here. Please, just let him talk," Castiel said.

"Why should we? He pretty much told us to go jump off a cliff the last time we talked."

"Like I told Cassy, I've been thinking."

Sam eyed the archangel; try to study him, to figure out what he was playing at. He really wanted to believe that the angel had just changed his mind and decided to help them but he knew that there was probably something in it for him.

"Unless you the count the fact that that world doesn't get destroyed and I get to keep my playground then there's nothing in it for me kido." Gabriel said looking at Sam.

"How…?"

"My thoughts are these; if I help one of my brothers, the other one get killed and the world gets destroy. I'll either end up back in Heaven or something else," he glanced at that part, "and I really like it right here on Earth thank you very much."

"So then why then help us? You'll still end up fighting your brothers," Dean said.

"Will I?"

Sam almost smiled as Gabriel titled his head at Dean, it must be an 'angel thing'.

"Gabriel is willing to help us," Castiel said, "but…"

"I knew it. What did I tell you Sammy? There's always a 'but'."

"Dean, please," Sam waved his hand at his brother trying to calm him down. He looked to the angels by the bed. "What is it Cass?"

Castiel glanced at Gabriel before speaking. "Gabriel has informed me that there is no way to actually kill Lucifer or Michael; unless you are Lucifer or Michael."

"Wait, so only one or the other can kill the other?" Sam asked.

"Yep," Gabriel nodded, "and don't bother asking me. I'm powerful but not that powerful."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Gabriel has also informed me of a way to stop Lucifer."

"But you just said…"

"To _stop_ Lucifer, kido, not to kill him," Gabriel jumped in. "It was a 'safe-lock', if you will, that Father put into place." Gabriel pointed to Sam's duffle bag in the corner of the room, "The ring that you got from War. How did you get it?"

"How did you know…."

Gabriel sighed, "Do you really have to ask that?"

Sam stood moving to the bag and pulled the ring out of the side pocket inside. He held it up for everyone to see it, "We cut his finger off."

"That had to hurt," Gabriel said rubbing his own fingers.

"What does the ring have to do with this?" Dean demanded.

"I'm willing to make a deal with you guys."

"Oh no," Dean said, "We don't make anymore deal with supernatural beings of any kinds."

"Isn't that Sammy's choose?" Gabriel looked to Sam.

Sam looked to Dean; his brother was shaking his head. He knew that Dean was just thinking of his well being but at the same time Gabriel was right, it was his decision to make. He thought back to when Dean had made the deal to save him, it was his turn. "What's the deal?"

Gabriel didn't seem to noticed Dean yelling as he smiled at Sam, "I'll tell you how to go about stopping Lucifer and I'll let you claim me but it'll only be the beginning of a claim; I don't think you would be willing to go through with the whole thing anyway. In return, you'll only call me for help when you ireally/i need it and I won't actually do any fighting against my brothers, unless Lucifer is trying to get into that pretty skull of yours." Gabriel stood, moving towards to Sam. Sam saw Dean tensing from the corner of his eyes but he also saw Castiel shaking his head over Gabriel's shoulder. The archangel stopped in front of him, held up his hand. Sam tensed himself when an angel blade appeared in his other hand but instead of using it on one of them; he ran it across the palm of his hand. Holding it out towards Sam, he could see the blood that ran from the wound glowing a light blue, as if his Grace was trying to escape from his vessel. "So? Do we have a deal?"

Sam glanced at the wound; Castiel had told him before what a claiming would involved but that that was just the beginning of a claim, Sam hadn't even thought about asking what a whole bond would take. Looking around the room, he saw many different emotions on the three faces in the room. His eyes landed back on Gabriel's hand before locking with the gold ones of the archangel. This is what they had set out to do five months ago and now with a simple yes or no from him, they would be able to stop Lucifer. "You promise?"

"Angel deals are nothing demon deals Sammy, except for the whole kissing thing; we keep ours."

Sam sighed and reached down for the dagger that he kept in his boot, he saw Castiel moving to stop Dean from stopping him. He studied the dagger for a second before running it across his own hand as he stood. He fought back the small cry of pain as the blood broke free from his skin and started running over his palm. He took one more look around the room; Dean was shaking his head, Castiel just stood there watching, and Gabriel kept his hand out. Sam took a step closer to the archangel; he hadn't really realized how short Gabriel was to him until he was standing right in front of him. He leaned down to where their lips were inches about. Sam took hold of Gabriel's hand, he could feel their blood mixing together as warmth ran through him. He leaned the rest of the way locking their lips together in a quick kiss before pulling back, a little shocked that Gabriel had a smile on his lips. Keeping their hands together, Sam tighten the hold, "We have a deal."

_**Fin…?**_


End file.
